Boat Cover

[butts0907]

I'm in the market for a boat cover and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions/advice, as well as a price range for a good, quality cover. The cover probably doesn't need to be travel worthy, but I'm not real sure about that yet. I'm mainly looking for something to keep the boat dry when it rains.

Thanks in advance!
-Paul

[Travis C.]

I'd like to know this as well.

The ones I have had in the past all let water through in heavy rains making it pointless to use. Still ended up having to dry the boat out.

My guess the best is a garage. :)

[Halli]

This one I bought at Christmas and it has done fine.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-WeatherSafe-Storage-Tite-Boat-Covers/product/10205156/

[culprit7.5]

I don't know what style of boat you are trying to fit but here's what I have to offer. I have had several of the blue ones that are sold at BassPro and they have served me well. I don't recall the model number. They are durable enough to withstand towing but I would have liked more anchor points. They only offered a motor "hood" or cover that was separate from the boat cover itself. That being said, they generally lasted 3 to 5 years before they would begin to fade and dry rot. My boat has to sit in the driveway under several hours of direct sunlight and this definitely expedited the breakdown of the material. My only tip is to make sure you have something under the cover in the low/slack areas to help the water run off and not pond anywhere on the cover. I have made my own but most companies offer support poles just for this purpose. Sorry to ramble but I did want to suggest a company I found online and ordered my latest cover from. They will ask your exact boat make, length, model, year, engine size, and whether or not it is an outboard. Their covers are made specially to fit your boat exactly and they compensate for things like walk thru windshields and pedestal seats, which mine has both. There is also extra room up front to allow for your trolling motor. I have a 17 1-2 ft ProCraft fish & ski (see avatar) with a 115 outboard and I am completely pleased with the fit and craftsmanship of the cover. It just feels like better quality than previous ones and they said it would last at least five years and more if I treat it every so often with water repellant (but that won't be necessary for a few years at least). Anyway the company site is http://www.boatcoversdirect.com/ and the one I got was $385.00 total. I am completely satisfied with the quality. The motor hood is attached to the cover and I requested a few inches longer to compensate for boarding ladder and how far I wanted the cover to extend over the edges. I'd rather it be a little too big than too small. Tip: cut swimming pool noodles into pieces to cover any sharp edges to keep them from tearing the cover during wind storm or trailering. Here's a pic of my cover.

[TNBronzeback]

im speaking from experience here but take it for what its worth i suppose as this is my experience and my opinion:
boat covers just dont last and quite frankly, im not convinced they are made to get more than a season or 2 out of them depending on how/where they are used/stored. if its in direct sunlight, the U.V breaks them down, if they are stretched too tight over any additions youve done to the boat, it creates a rub point and breaks it down/rips. if its too lose, its gonna wave
in the wind, rub and rip. the straps will wear down and break before their time, ect, ect.
now if you buy an oversize cover and add supports to tent the cover to prevent water laying on it and cushions on edges and corners and maybe treat the cover with some kind of water proofing/u.v blocker, you may get a little more time out of it. Ive just had several brands over the years and they havent held up for any of the conditions that ive had them in for any length of time. and one of them was a custom cover that came with the brand new boat we purchased. Maybe other guys have had better luck but im a tad bit skeptical of boat covers i guess. LOL

[butts0907]

I'd like to know this as well.

The ones I have had in the past all let water through in heavy rains making it pointless to use. Still ended up having to dry the boat out.

My guess the best is a garage. :)

I agree, but the wife finally kicked the boat out!!

I appreciate all the input. I'd like to get a custom cover, but it's not really in the budget right now. However, the one from BPS is looking like a winner, for now. I'm hoping next year I'll have a place to keep it that's out of the elements, so if I can get something to last me a year, or maybe two, I'll be happy.

Thanks guys!!
-Paul

[Adrian]

You have to buy a new one every year if it's in the sun at all. Simple as that. I just ordered one yesterday. BUMMER!

[Travis C.]

The thing that did help mine out some was we made a pvc framework under it. Simple letter E turned sideways if you see it that way. One down pipe goes over the front pedestal minus seat and the other end down pipe goes over the rear pedestal minus seat. The middle down pipe is longer to reach the floorboard with a flat base added to the bottom of the pipe. It helped with puddling and aided runoff.

Its all one piece pick up from middle slide off then add seats back to go fishing.

[Adrian]

I did the same exact thing Travis, still I have to buy a new one every year due to how brittle they get out in the sun. I have it tighter than Fort Knox but still water gets it when it wants to. It's a Scam!

[Travis C.]

It's a Scam!

Got that right!

[jaycee]

Got a cover with a five year warranty. Replaced once so the cover lasted five years.

[Adrian]

Got a cover with a five year warranty. Replaced once so the cover lasted five years.

Share the info please...

[culprit7.5]

Here's a current picture of the same cover I posted one year ago. Just got finished with another PoliGlow treatment on the boat and was thinking about this thread and thought I would post an updated pic showing wear from one year of direct exposure to weather, for what it's worth.

[notorious]

I'll chime, IMHO boat covers have planned obsolescence, and investment protection continues to remove the weight from your wallet. Purchase a cheap Atwood cover that matches your boat from Academy, purchase a quality oversized UV-Poly Tarp and put it under the cover, use PVC piping with 45's and insert it into the front and rear seat pole holes. The tarp will outlast the cover 2:1.